


I Think I Love You

by shadowsamurai



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Romance, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-17
Updated: 2012-06-17
Packaged: 2017-11-07 23:12:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/436487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowsamurai/pseuds/shadowsamurai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>You can imagine this story takes place in whatever season you like. There's no Angel, no Riley, and Giles is in Sunnydale. Erm, that's it. So whenever you like it to be, that's when it is!</p><p>All lyrics used belong to Andy Williams.</p>
    </blockquote>





	I Think I Love You

**Author's Note:**

> You can imagine this story takes place in whatever season you like. There's no Angel, no Riley, and Giles is in Sunnydale. Erm, that's it. So whenever you like it to be, that's when it is!
> 
> All lyrics used belong to Andy Williams.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, I'm just borrowing things for a while and I promise I'll put everything back exactly how I found it when I've finished. Well, almost exactly how I found it. ;)

BS-RG-BS-RG-BS-RG

Giles closed his eyes and sipped his tea, sighing in contentment as the smooth beverage slipped easily down his throat. He was enjoying some rare quiet time without intense research or Scoobie invasions, but already he was bored. Not that Giles would have admitted that; if anyone had turned up, he would have complained about them disturbing him and let them in only grudgingly. Sometimes he wondered why he bothered. Everyone could see right through him, but he did have a reputation to maintain.

Deciding some decent music was in order, Giles browsed his meagre collection of CDs. It didn't take him long. Finally settling on Andy Williams, he put the disc into the stereo, selected the random function, and pressed play, congratulating himself on being able to use the machine without any trouble. He would have hated to have to call Xander or Willow - or worse, Buffy - because he couldn't use his stereo.

*I'm sleeping  
And right in the middle of a good dream  
Like all at once I wake up  
From something that keeps knocking at my brain*

Giles choked on his tea and sent a malevolent glare to the CD player. Of all the songs, why did that have to be the first to play? Of course, there were many others on the CD that would have been just as bad, but for some reason, Giles felt that song had been written for him. He had lost count of how many times he had awoken suddenly in the middle of the night, his voice so loud in his head he thought the entire neighbourhood could hear him.

He reached over to the stereo to stop the music, but his hand never touched the machine.

*Before I go insane, I hold my pillow to my head  
And spring up in my bed, screaming out the words I dread  
'I think I love you'*

Sitting heavily on the couch, Giles put his tea down and dropped his head into his hands. "This is not happening," he muttered to himself, then added thoughtfully, "I wonder if there are demons that live in stereos."

*This morning  
I woke up with this feeling  
I didn't know how to deal with  
And so I just decided to myself  
I'd hide it to myself, and never talk about it*

That was the most truth he had ever heard on his situation, and Giles found that quite sad in itself. Of course, the whole situation was sad, in every definition of the word. He was hopelessly in love with his Slayer, and lately it had turned into an obsession. Buffy was invading his dreams, his waking nightmares; it was like she was trying to invade his pores and the worst thing was, she didn't even know what she doing.

*And didn't I go and shout it when you walked into the room  
I think I love you!*

Giles grunted softly. "I hope to dear God that never happens," he murmured to himself. "I'm sure Buffy would think I had been possessed and try to stake me. Or she might just try to stake me anyway."

*I think I love you  
So what am I so afraid of?  
I'm afraid that I'm not sure of  
A love there is no cure for*

Giles knew in his heart there was no cure for what he felt for his Slayer. From the first moment he saw her, he knew they shared a connection, one that had been bent and broken many times over. But they had survived everything thrown at them, and their connection had grown stronger.

"At least for now," Giles added out loud. "Who knows what will happen tomorrow?"

*I think I love you  
Isn't that what life is made of?  
Though it worries me to say  
That I've never felt this way*

He sent another glare in the way of the stereo. "That is the worst part," Giles told the empty room. "At my age, you would think I had felt that way before, but I haven't. Not even with Jenny." He sunk his head into his hands again. "I cannot believe this has happened to me. You would think I would be old enough to know better."

Standing, Giles turned the sound up a little on the stereo and started to sing along.

*Believe me  
You really don't have to worry  
I only want to make you happy  
And if you say 'hey, go away', I will*

He paused the CD. "I don't want to," he murmured. "I don't want to leave you, Buffy. But I feel that some day I may have to, and I think when that day arrives, you will neither understand nor forgive me."

"And why's that, Giles? Because I'm too wrapped up in myself?"

"Yes," Giles replied. "I…." Suddenly he flushed from his neck up to his hair, and he found he couldn't turn around. "Buffy?"

"Right in one, Book Man," she replied happily, but Giles could tell the tone was false.

"I, ah, thought you were out shopping with Willow."

"Nah. You know me and the whole shopping thing," Buffy said. "Would love to do it, but I don't have the chance to wear the stuff I wanna buy, and I don't have the money."

"I see." Still Giles couldn't turn around. He wondered how long Buffy had been outside his apartment listening, let alone actually stood inside it.

Unbeknownst to Giles, Buffy was glad he wasn't looking at her; she couldn't remember a time she'd felt more uncomfortable. She had been shopping with Willow, but something made her quit the mall and go straight to Giles'. Once there, she peeked through the window and saw him sat on the couch with his head in his hands.

In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, Buffy said, "Far as I know, Giles, demons don't live in stereos. Unless they're little midget men."

As soon as the words left her mouth she knew it was the wrong thing to say. Giles' shoulders tensed and he started to turn. "You were stood listening all that time?" he asked, an edge to his voice.

"Okay, look, Giles, I didn't come here to fight or…invade your personal space," Buffy replied quickly. "I was out with Wills and I felt this…tug, which brought me here. I thought you were in trouble. Then I saw you on the couch, thought something had happened, then you started talking…to me, in case you've forgotten…. What was I supposed to do? Just bound through the door and shout, 'Hi, Giles!' Or walk away and forget what I've heard? 'Cause I don't think I can do that." The last bit was said so quietly, Giles wasn't sure he had heard correctly. "Tell me what I'm supposed to do, Giles."

"Why don't you do what you want, Buffy?" Giles snapped. "That's what you usually do, isn't it?" He wasn't angry with her, he was angry with himself for allowing his feelings to be seen and heard.

For a moment, Buffy's bottom lip quivered and Giles thought she was going to run from his apartment crying. But then her stance changed, a motion he knew well, and her shoulders straightened as her chin lifted a little.

"Alright," she said, her voice firm. "I want you to finish singing the song. I want to know what happens. It's obviously telling a story. I want to hear the end."

That was not what Giles was expecting. "I'm sorry, Buffy, I didn't mean…."

"But you were right," she told him. "So sing it for me, Giles."

Their eyes locked and a silent battle of wills ensued until finally, the Watcher pushed play on the stereo and started to sing.

*But I think better still, I'd better stay around and love you  
Do you think I have a case?  
Let me ask you to your face*

Suddenly he stopped it again. "Buffy, I can't."

She surprised him by covering his hand with hers; Giles hadn't realised she had moved so close to him. "Yes, you can," she said, pressing the button with Giles' finger.

*Do you think you love me?*

Giles found his throat was too dry to swallow, and his lungs had suddenly forgotten how to work as Buffy gazed at him, her expression one he wasn't used to seeing, especially aimed at him. She slid her hand up his arm until she cupped the back of his neck.

*I think I love you!*

Giles wasn't prepared for Buffy bringing his head down while she tilted her face upwards, nor could he believe what was about to happen. But as their lips touched, all thought and attempts to try and reason why the situation was what it was went out of the window. Every nerve ending felt on fire, and without really thinking about it, his hands went to Buffy's waist, pulling her flush against his body. Buffy's hands twined themselves into Giles' hair as the kiss deepened, and it was only when she let out a low moan in her throat that Giles came back to reality.

"Buffy," he started to say as they parted, but Buffy quickly put a finger to his lips.

"Please don't, Giles," she replied. "Don't tell me we can't, don't tell me it isn't right. I don't want to hear that you're too old for me; Slayer, remember? Not supposed to live long anyway."

"Buffy," Giles protested, though the sound was mumbled because of the finger.

"As for why now…I don't know," she admitted. "For a while, I've been feeling this…tug towards you. Today was strongest, I figured I'd see what was goin' on. Then that song…I managed to put two and two together all on my own and come up with four." Buffy smiled, obviously pleased with herself, and Giles couldn't help but smile back.

"Am I to assume, then, that from that, you wish me to take a leap of faith with regards to your newfound feelings for me?" he asked gently.

"They're not newfound," Buffy corrected him. "Just…newly named. They've always been around, poking me in the head, tryin' to get me to see sense…."

"I've been trying that for years," Giles murmured.

Buffy ignored him. "And now I see it. The sense thing. So yeah, leap of faith would be good…leap of faith to trust me."

Giles tilted his head on one side. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to hurt you, Giles," Buffy said, her voice suddenly small. "But this is me. We know that I'm good at hurting, whether it's on purpose or not. And I've hurt you enough. Don't wanna do that any more. But it's like everything I go near turns to ashes. I don't want that to happen with you."

"Then we'll have to make sure it won't," Giles replied, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him, holding her close as he had wanted to for years. "Won't we?"

Buffy nodded against his chest. "Wanna know what I think, Giles?"

"What is that?"

"I definitely think I love you."

FIN


End file.
